The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To  Us, We Went On An Outing To 
 The Glass Factory  That  Bore Our Family 
 Name. It Had Changed  Owners  Many Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood  Abandoned  For  A   Long   While. 
 Finally,  The Natural  End  Station  For 
 The  Buildings  That Survive:  A Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long Time  Since  My  Family 
 Made  Anything.  By Many,  We  Would  Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There Are  Two Main  Factory  Buildings, 
 Domed Things Of  Several Floors, Made In 
 Yellow Brick. Large But  Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent     Of    Some    Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made Glass,  Of Course, Large And 
 LeadEd, And  Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be 
 Practical.  On  The  Eastern   Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One Is Publicly  Open. There'S 
 A Museum, With Wax  Figures Of  My Great 
 Great Great  Grandfather,  Or Something. 
 Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out  On 
 Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot  Of 
 Glass     Of      Varying     Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly Sneak  Out, And Climb Into The 
 Other   Building.   The    Contrast   Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict   For  A  Long   Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark   Glass  All  Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric Lights, But  I Can  See By  The 
 Light That Shines  In Wherever The  Dark 
 Windows    Are    Missing    A     Pane. 
                                          
 However, The Greatest  Difference Is The 
 Higher  Floors: This Building  Has None. 
 It Is  One Massive Hall, Stretching Away 
 Infinitely Above  Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is Some  Great  Iron  Latticework,  From 
 Where  Chains Are Suspended,  And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There Is, In  The  Middle Of  The  Great 
 Hall,  A  Thin  Spiral   Staircase  That 
 Leads Up  There. I Sneak Over There, And 
 Take A  Few  Reluctant Steps. After Just 
 A Revolution,  I  Notice That  For  Each 
 Step The Building  Starts  To  Glow, The 
 Bricks  Turning  A  Dark Red,  And  Then 
 Orange, All  The Piled  Up  Debree Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I  Stop  Ready To Run Down  And Out, But 
 There'S  Someone Else On  The  Staircase 
 With   Me   Now,   Pressed  Close.  He'S 
 Looking  Like  Me,  Short Hair  And Thin 
 Arms, But With Ears  From  Some  Animal, 
 And  More Disturbingly, Completely  Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear  Holds  Me In  Place  While  He 
 Starts  Operating  Levers  And Dials Set 
 In The Center Of The  Staircase. Slowly, 
 It Starts  Spinning,  Circling  Upwards. 
 It'S  An   Elevator!  I   Start  To  Run 
 Downwards,   But  Now  The  Liquid   Boy 
 Creature Grabs  Hold  Of  Me. I  Try  To 
 Shake Him Off,  But He'S Too Strong, And 
 Pulls   Me    Back   Up   Beside    Him. 
                                          
 This Time,  I  Turn Angry Instead.  What 
 The Hell?  Who Is This Guy,  Acting Like 
 This? I  Reach Out My Free  Arm And Slam 
 A   Random  Lever.  Some  Metal  Bar  Is 
 Suddenly  Released Between  Us,  Hitting 
 Him  On The Arm, Forcing  My  Release. I 
 Shove Him Off  Of Me, And He  Falls Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,  A  Thin   Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain Is  Dropped  Around Me.  But The 
 Elevator Also Speeds  Up  Significantly. 
                                          
 The  Walls  Are  Flaring  Now,   Yellow, 
 White, Almost Blue. I  Close My Eyes And 
 Curl  Into A Ball. But  Then,  The Glass 
 Boy  Screams,  A  Piercing  Sound   That 
 Forces  My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He 
 Becomes  Too  Liquid,  His Body  Pooling 
 Down In His  Now  Massive Tail,  And The 
 Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In  A Glass 
 Drop  That  Falls  Toward  The   Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S  Crawling  On The Stairs, Unable To 
 Keep  His Body Upright.  Can'T Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While  His  Body  Is  Turning  Into Dark 
 Pearls. Finally, He'S  Lost Too Much  Of 
 Himself And  The  Scream  Is Cut  Short. 
 The    Last   Of   Him    Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I  Still Can'T  Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within My Cage.  Looking  Up,  I  Try To 
 Make Out  The  Ceiling,  But It'S All  A 
 Whirling Sea Of Colours.  Below Me Glows 
 The Hellfire Of The  Factory Walls,  But 
 Very  Faint.  I Sit Down, Curl Back  Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large Clunk Shakes  My  Entire  Body, 
 And Snaps  Me  Back  Into  Reality.  I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs   Are   Still   Moving  Slightly, 
 Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The  Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And   I   Slowly  Dismount  The  Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking And Crying,  I  Make My Way Over 
 The  Factory Floor,  Wading Through Dark 
 Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance  Down, And 
 I  See There'S  Something  Faint  Inside 
 Them.   Embryos?    Are   These    Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.